Achieving a good night’s sleep is equally important as following a healthy diet and performing regular exercise. Sleep deprivation can cause harm to your health. It can cause memory issues, a weak immune system, and mood swings. Therefore, it is important to achieve restful sleep at night to avoid health issues.
If you are getting enough sleep, you will experience many health benefits. You will have a stronger immune system, better mood, and enhanced memory. Sleeping for 8-9 hours every night is highly recommended.
However, as you get older, getting restful sleep can become a problem. This is especially true if you have a sleep disorder or other underlying illnesses such as depression. However, there are ways you can do to improve your sleep at night. Let’s discuss each below!
1. Increase Bright Light Exposure During Daytime and Decrease Blue Light Exposure at Night
Bright light exposure during the day is important for promoting sleep at night. It helps you stay awake during the day and tells your brain to sleep in the evening.
Expose yourself more to the heat of the sun during the day. If you are working in an office, try to go outside often to see the bright surroundings. You can also pull the curtains back to one side to let the light from the outside in.
At night, you must decrease your exposure to blue light. This light is what computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices produce. It tricks yourself that it is daytime, so you stay awake.
What you can do is wear glasses at night when you use your smartphones or computers. You can also limit your screen time in the evening and talk to the people around you instead. It is best to stop screen time at least 2 hours before bedtime.
2. Stop Consuming Caffeine Late at Night
Caffeine helps you stay awake, focused, and increase energy levels. It is good when consumed during the daytime. However, at night, it is not advisable as you will stay awake. It stimulates your body’s nervous system that stops you from relaxing.
If you drink coffee every day, make sure to consume your last cup around 3-4 pm. If you have trouble falling asleep fast, limit your coffee to one cup a day. Consume it in the morning only to help you stay energized during the day.
3. Reduce Long Naps During the Day
Short naps are beneficial to recharge your body. They help you finish your day while staying focused and energized. However, if you take long naps, it can negatively affect your sleep at night. It confuses your internal clock, making you stay awake in the evening.
If you feel sleepy during the day, take a nap not longer than 30 minutes. You can also try diverting your attention to an activity you like, so you won’t get sleepy.
However, if you regularly nap in the day and sleep well in the evening, you should not worry. Napping effects vary on each individual.
4. Follow Your Sleep Schedule
Preventing disruptions in your circadian rhythm is important. Your circadian rhythm works like a loop. It aligns itself with daytime and nighttime. So, you should be consistent with your sleeping cycle.
Sleep and wake up at similar times daily. If it is bedtime and you are not sleepy yet, you must go to bed. You can still fall asleep faster once your body lies down. During weekends or rest days, sleep and wake up at the same time as well. So, there will be no interruptions to your sleep cycle.
5. Drink a Glass of Milk Before Bedtime
Drinking milk to promote sleep is a popular and effective practice. Milk has nutrients that improve or induce sleep. These nutrients help your body produce melatonin, a hormone that plays a crucial role in the sleep-wake cycle. The hormone’s effect can make you feel relaxed to get ready to sleep.
Buy milk in bulk so you will have enough supply. You can preserve its shelf-life if you keep it in an airtight glass container and chilled. If you don’t have a glass container available for storing milk, you can purchase some online.
Look for a trusted manufacturer for glass milk bottles like Roetell. They produce food-grade bottles that do not spoil milk quickly. They also offer glass milk bottles in different shapes and sizes. If you are interested to know more about their products, visit their website https://www.roetell.com/.
6. Minimize Drinking Alcohol
Alcohol can disrupt your body’s melatonin production at night. Therefore, it is essential to minimize drinking alcohol. If you want to drink it, do not do it at night. You can have a few shots in the day, but not too much.
However, instead of drinking alcohol, practice consuming a healthier alternative drink. You can drink green smoothie instead of alcohol. If you think you feel thirsty, drink water, not alcohol.
7. Optimize Your Bedroom
Your bedroom’s environment plays a key role in helping you fall asleep and giving you restful sleep. Noise, temperature, and furniture arrangement are some of the factors in your bedroom that affect sleep. So, if you feel like you need to adjust your bedroom’s temperature, do it. Whatever is not helping you sleep in your bedroom, get rid of it.
8. Do Not Eat Late at Night
When you eat later in the evening, the muscles that digest food are still working. These muscles should be resting at this hour. If they are still working, it can stop you from getting restful sleep.
Make sure to eat early in the evening, so your stomach will still have time digesting food. Wait for 30 minutes before drinking water after your dinner. This helps digest food properly as your stomach needs to be more acidic to metabolize food.
9. Make Time to Relax at Night
Relaxation is the preparation stage to sleep better. Therefore, you need to get to this stage before bedtime to achieve restful sleep. You can create a pre-sleep routine, so you have better sleep at night.
Performing yoga or deep breathing techniques can help relax your mind and body. Both use mindfulness to create a deeper connection to yourself, improving relaxation and calmness. You can also try the following:
- Taking an aromatic bath
- Listening to your favorite music
- Visualizing happy thoughts
- Reading novels
- Writing essays or journals
10. Exercise During Daytime
Exercising can increase your body’s temperature, which keeps you awake. After several hours, your body’s temperature returns to its normal range. When this happens, it makes you feel sleepy. Therefore, it is important to perform your exercise in the afternoon or morning. Avoid exercising in the evening as much as possible.
Conclusion
Getting a good night’s sleep is always advisable to everyone. Your body needs to recharge every day, and that happens mainly during your night’s sleep. Start creating your bedtime routine to promote quality sleep. Avoid activities or foods that help you stay awake, so you can relax. Follow these tips above and achieve restful sleep every night for healthier mornings and days.
